Former bank building turns luxury accommodation
Published on 17 February 2021
Built in the late 1870s, the Boort National Australia Bank opened its doors in the early 1880s. For nearly 140 years it operated from its building in the town’s main street, until 2018 when the bank closed its doors.
The closing of the town’s only bank was a huge loss for Boort. However, from this loss came an opportunity to make something special and add a unique attraction to the town.
This opportunity was taken up by Cleo Lanyon, who purchased the former bank building and has since turned it into a luxurious, fully self-contained accommodation experience, named NAB&B.
“NAB&B is something a bit different for the area, and provides an opportunity to attract even more visitors to Boort,” says Cleo.
Situated in Boort’s main street within walking distance to Little Lake Boort, shops, pubs, cafes and sporting clubs, NAB&B has three bedrooms, and sleeps eight people.
Bedroom one has a king bed, bedroom two a queen bed, while bedroom three has two sets of bunk beds.
Further complementing the accommodation is a fully equipped kitchen with coffee machine, spacious lounge and dining room. NAB&B also has a full bathroom as well as a separate laundry.
Old-school charm is featured throughout the building including high pressed tin ceilings and exposed brick walls – all combined with modern luxury.
Cleo explains that when it came to converting the old bank building into this landmark accommodation there were some limitations on what could be achieved.
“The layout did make some things a bit limited, as well as the double brick walls – so the accommodation had to be built within the spaces of the existing building,” Cleo says.
“For example, the old manager’s office is the children’s room, and the queen bedroom, which didn’t have a window, instead has a skylight in it – which looks amazing.
“On the flip side, there were other things in terms of the layout that worked out really well,” Cleo adds.
“This includes the location of the original male and female toilets, which were able to be made into a full bathroom as well as a separate laundry.”
Local artwork is also featured in NAB&B, with canvasses capturing photos of Little Lake Boort sunrises (by Kate Perryman), an image of the bank building by Sophia Piccoli and a photograph by Anna Osbourne of the “Horse and Cart” spanner sculpture by renowned local artist John Piccoli.
There’s also locally-made hampers available for purchase which showcase the area’s amazing produce, as well as timber cutting boards made by Cleo’s father Reyn Lanyon.
To find out more about NAB&B or to make a booking visit https://www.nabandb.com.au/ or call 0409 765 271. You can also email bookings@nabandb.com.au
NAB&B is also on Facebook